Panel ensures safe operation of the $94 million NSTX Upgrade
Inspecting what will soon become the world's most powerful spherical fusion facility
NSTX-U
The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), which underwent a $94 million upgrade, is being repaired. It will be the most powerful experimental fusion facility, or tokamak, of its type in the world when it is back in operation. Experiments will test the ability of the upgraded spherical facility to maintain a high-performance plasma under conditions of extreme heat and power. Results could strongly influence the design of future fusion reactors.
Raftopoulos takes on the challenge
Steve Raftopoulos is a lifelong “tinkerer” who has always found joy in building things and who loves his job at PPPL because it allows him to do just that. Now he’s bringing that sense of fun to a serious job as head of the team of engineers who help create the coils and other components of PPPL’s experiments.
Monumental effort: How a dedicated team completed a massive beam-box relocation for the NSTX upgrade
Your task: Take apart, decontaminate, refurbish, relocate, reassemble, realign and reinstall a 75-ton neutral beam box that will add a second beam box to the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) and double the experiment’s heating power. Oh, and while you’re at it, hoist the two-story tall box over a 22-foot wall.
Scientific Opportunities and Challenges in the Upgraded National Spherical Torus Experiment
Hole in one: Technicians smoothly install the center stack in the NSTX-U vacuum vessel
Installation caps more than two years of construction of the heart of the $94 million upgrade.
“Stellar” progress on NSTX-U highlights strong year for PPPL, Lab Director Stewart Prager says
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is looking forward to reopening the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX-U) after “stellar” progress in the $94 million upgrade of the facility that should allow it to be completed by December of this year, Lab Director Stewart Prager told PPPL staff during his annual State of the Laboratory speech on April 29.
Major Milestone: PPPL completes first quadrant of the heart of the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade
“If we had a script, I couldn’t think of a better outcome.” That’s how Ron Strykowsky, head of the NSTX Upgrade, described results for a critical stage of the project’s construction.
Jonathan E Menard
Jonathan Menard is responsible for guiding the research program of PPPL working with the laboratory's domestic and international research team. His research interests include the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium and stability properties of spherical torus (ST) and tokamak plasmas, advanced operating scenarios in the ST, and the development of next- step ST options for fusion energy.
Masayuki Ono
Masa Ono is project director of the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U). Ono has led
a number of PPPL research teams including those involved in the Advanced Concept Torus (ACT-1), the Current Drive Experiment (CDX), the Current Drive Experiment Upgrade (CDX-U) and the NSTX. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the author of more than 250 scientific papers.
Dr. Richard J Hawryluk
Richard Hawryluk, Associate Director for Fusion, is an internationally-known physicist and a former deputy director of PPPL. He served as the head of the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) Recovery Planning Project from 2016 through August of 2017. He served as interim director of the Laboratory from September 2017 through June 2018.
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